Surplus waste water is a byproduct of many industrial and agricultural operations around the world and disposing of it in a responsible and affordable manner is a substantial issue for industry today. One of the most common and proven methods for reducing waste water involves using large evaporation ponds lined with black plastic where ambient temperatures and sunlight safely evaporate the waste water and slowly lower the water level. This natural distilling process leaves the toxic solids in the pond and evaporates the purified water into the air. For several years various types of evaporation equipment have been developed which spray (atomize) the water into the air in fine droplets to help accelerate the evaporation rate.
However, more recently conventional evaporation equipment and methods have been found to be polluting the soil and vegetation surrounding the storage pond because the uncontrolled mist is drifting with wind conditions. Environmental regulations and restrictions are on the rise and these conventional methods and equipment are being banned and restricted from use at an increasing rate around the world.
Current methods and equipment in the evaporation industry focus on creating large uncontrolled clouds of atomized wastewater that are directed upward and away from the evaporation pond. While these systems may move impressive volumes of fluid, it has been found that contaminants from the wastewater are simply drifting into surrounding trees and contaminating soil or being carried into the wind stream because true evaporation did not separate the toxic particles from the pure water. This is especially true in conditions where the wind is blowing at more than about 4 mph, where conventional systems must generally be shut down until the wind subsides.
In particular, there is a growing need for improved evaporation equipment in the oil and gas industry. The use of hydraulic fracturing and new horizontal drilling methods are enabling companies to tap vast new quantities of natural gas and previously unreachable domestic oil reserves. Prospects look promising for what some have called a century's worth of cleaner abundant energy. However, as effective as these new fracturing and drilling methods are, there is a growing concern about the large amounts of water required for well production and the wastewater being generated therefrom.
In addition, increasing environmental regulations and concerns are limiting the options for safe, affordable and effective disposal of waste water. This is not only being felt in the oil and gas industry, but also in agriculture where the storage of surplus waste water threatens to contaminate soil, water and air.
There is thus a need for effective, practical and environmentally friendly waste water treatment and reduction.